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Show. Reflections

28th September 1956
Page 53
Page 53, 28th September 1956 — Show. Reflections
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WHAT a truly remarkable exposition of sound engineering and clever• technical achievement i n chassis and body construction, is the general consensus of opinion concerning the Commercial Motor Show.

The two years which have elapsed since the previous exhibition at Earls Court have brought many new developments and now these, and others which were at that time in their early stages, have been improved to the point where they can be incorporated with confidence in the latest designs.

Many people have described the Show as being the most interesting, and certainly the most comfortable, of the year. There are, naturally, not the huge crowds which congregate at most of the others, and who impede those who wish to make a meticulous examination of the products displayed. Comparatively few may attend because of some general interest in road transport, but most of the visitors are more or less intimately concerned with the industry, whether as operators at home or overseas, agents, road transport engineers • or workers in offices or factories, who take a pride , in the products with which they are concerned, whilst taking the opportunity of comparing these with others, including some from abroad Reason for Pride • They have reason to be proud, for, despite difficult conditions, this is a record-making show and the huge shop window of a large section of the motor industry which has maintained such active production that, during the first six months of this year, it beat all previous achievements, manufacturing nearly 180,000 units, an increase of 11,000 over the equivalent period of 1955. Moreover, over half this increase was added to commercial-vehicle shipments to many parts of the world, which, in the first half year, reached almost 84,000. This was despite severe import restrictions in Australia and New Zealand and increasingly fierce competition from foreign • manufacturers.

No small part in the development of new designs has resulted from the easing of certain legal restrictions which, for years, have put our manufacturers at a grave disadvantage in competing for overseas trade. Previously; models for the home market had to be built to dimensions and weights often unsuitable for export requirements There has been a long-drawn-out battle in which the chassis manufacturers and operators joined against regulations which hampered both, but our legislators, always slow to make changes, were eventually persuaded by, the force and truth of the arguments put forward This issue, in which the exhibits are reviewed from the technical aspect, provides ample evidence of the industry's virility in every sphere with which it is connected, whether it be complete vehicles designed for normal or special tasks, power and transmission units, accessories, or equipment and tools to facilitate maintenance and repair Time-saving Factor In commercial road transport, the saving of time is one of the most important factors. ft concerns the carriage, in comfort, of people en masse, the conveyance of finished goods, raw materials, foodstuffs and general commodities with speed and safety and, in thecase of fragile articles, with the least risk of damage to them In this respect, there are notable improvements in coaches and buses, whilst many goods vehicles have been designed to perform their specific classes of work more rapidly in novel, yet practicable, ways.

Interesting examples of these are found in the field of the bulk transport of fluids which has now developed to cover solid materials that can be considered as possessing a degree of fluidity, so that they, can be carried and discharged with ease and speed from tank wagons.

Attractive, too, in appearance and purpose, are the mobile shops, which are performing suchexcellent work in the new satellite towns, housing estates and, in fact, many other places where the sparsity of the population makes ordinary shopping inconvenient and difficult.

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